Trials of the Mind
by KyloRenofTheWoodlandRealm
Summary: [STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS SPOILERS PRESENT IN STORY] [SUMMARY IN BEGINNING OF STORY TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL SPOILERS]
1. Chapter 1 - Inner Thoughts

**Trials of the Mind**

Starkiller Base has been destroyed. Rey has found Luke Skywalker. For once everything seems to be going the Republic's way. But at what cost? Han Solo is dead. By the hands of his own son. But there are far greater problems. Finn and Poe embark on a new mission, despite the protestations of General Leia Organa. Rey discovers dark secrets and Kylo Ren has been summoned for training...

Kylo Ren was in his quarters, frustrated with no one but himself. But why? He had done his duty, fulfilled his destiny as Snoke's apprentice. He had followed the Dark Side and come out the victor. But at what cost? The life of his father? The life of a washed-up smuggler meant nothing to him, and besides, he had renounced his lineage long ago. The man that he killed on that bridge was not his father, it was his enemy. And yet, he felt… what was it? _Cold. Scared. Angry._

He dared not speak of his thoughts to anyone, lest they lose faith with him. He had to complete his training, he _had_ to. He was torn, even after all he had done it was not enough to undo his past and as he sat there, he was split between two sides. The Dark… and the Light. He brought his hands up to his mask and pulled it off with a faint _tsch._ He tossed it onto the ground, the sound of metal hitting metal filling the room. Then it stopped, and it was silent again. He cupped his face and tried to think. _What are you doing?_ He thought to himself, _You are with the dark side now, you are Kylo Ren, apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke and the opponent of the Republic._

"Ren?"

Kylo heard the voice and looked up. Standing there, in front of the open door was a stormtrooper, a long red pauldron hanging over his right shoulder.

"I told you to leave me in silence!" The Sith roared, standing up. He pulled his lightsaber from his belt and held it in his hand. Suddenly it felt heavy and wrong.

"Yes, I know but Snoke wanted you-" the Stormtrooper began with an uneasy tone, stepping back.

"Why didn't you knock?" Kylo barked, walking forward, stopping only a foot from the soldier.

"I'm sorry, Lord, but…"

The stormtrooper never finished his sentence, as Kylo let loose his rage and decapitated the soldier with one swing of his lightsaber, which crackled and fizzed, fuelled by the fury of its master.

"Rey… I have been expecting you."

As the Jedi let down his hood, the girl could quite easily see the years of weariness and regret present on his face. It was wrinkled, like pages of an old book, but one that had not been told yet. A thick, shaggy beard clutched to his chin, with grey hairs far too common. The hair on his head went down to nigh on his shoulders and worst of all were his eyes. The old, vivid blue had turned into a dull grey, and his brow hung over them like a great plague. His robe was evidently tight on him, and his cloak muddy at the bottom.

Yet Rey did not care, she had finally found him. After years the Republic had found him. Luke Skywalker. A myth, a legend until only a few hours ago when R2-D2 and BB-8 pieced together the map and Chewie made the way.

"Luke?" the girl croaked, her hand still outstretched, the lightsaber hilt in her hand.

Luke walked forwards, clutching his old weapon and taking it out of her grip with a faint smile. "It is so good to see you."

The words struck a chord with the young girl's heart, and Rey's temporary bewilderment turned into confusion. "Have we met?". _No_ , she knew was the answer. Her family had been taken from her when she was barely six and she had been on Jakku ever since. She would know if she met Luke Skywalker, the hero of the war, no matter how long ago it may have been.

"No," Luke stroked her cheek with one hand, wrinkled yet soft and gentle, "but I've seen you. I've wanted to speak to you for years. Ever since… Ever since you were born."

When Rey awoke her legs hurt and the ground was cold. She rubbed her eyes and saw she was lying down on a stone bed, surrounded by rock.

"Where… Where am I?"

"Don't worry," Luke said to her from behind, "you're on the same island. You passed out when I told you about your birth, I dragged you back here and nursed you. You're okay, but your legs are grazed. It'll heal soon."

Rey remembered what the Jedi had said, was he her father? It made no sense; she knew her family, before they were taken from her. The family she had waited for years. And now what, it was all for the wrong people? But then, nonr of her family were Jedi, were they? How could she know the force? It pieced together now, like an enormous jigsaw.

"So is it true? Are you my father?"

It seemed a lifetime before she got an answer, but Luke slowly nodded, "Yes. I am."

Finn took deep breaths, awakening from his long sleep. Around him the tents still flapped in the wind, the hustle and bustle of a control centre ringing in his ears.

"We were wondering when you'd come round!" a familiar voice chuckled next to him. The owner slid into view, and Finn grinned,

"Poe!", he jumped up and the two of them hugged, embracing eachother warmly.

"It's good to see you, man!", Poe said, out of his Pilot jumpsuit.

"Me, too!" Finn smiled.

The two of them exchanged stories about what happened at Starkiller. It had been a success, but they had lost some good friends that day.

"It's a shame about Han, it really is." Said Poe, sat at a table in the Field Cantina.

"Yeah… it is." Finn mourned for the old man, a hero who had done so much, only to be killed by Kylo Ren, his own son? It made no sense, but it only made the resentment for the Sith that much stronger. "We have to find Ren. And kill him."

Poe studied his friend for a moment, before replying with a calm tone, "Don't we all think the same? But we don't know where he is. You said yourself, you fought with him in that forest and then you awoke just now. Rey took off to find Luke and I don't think she knows anyway. But how could he have survived? That planet was torn apart from the explosion. There was no way he could have got out quick enough."

Finn nodded his head solemnly, working out how to say his next words, "Not impossible. There's a chance one of his men could have picked him up in that command shuttle of his. And I think I know who."

Poe seemed surprised, "What? Who?"

"Phasma." Finn said to his friend, "Think about it. That soldier devotes her life to Ren. If she escaped that trash compactor-"

"Trash compactor?" Poe interrupted.

"Long story. But if she did, and found Kylo's ship, she might have had enough time to rescue him. And even if she didn't, I'd bet she knows where the Sith is."

"You really think that?" Poe probed, clearly unsure.

"Of course, look, I know her, okay? She's like second in command to Ren. She'll know. I know she will." Finn stared at the ground, thinking about the events that had transpired over just a month. In that time, he had gone from being in the First Order to helping find Luke Skywalker and destroying the Starkiller Base. Yet still, his quest was not complete until he avenged Solo and stopped Kylo Ren.

The two reached the centre of the control hub; a huge glass wall was set up, maps and lines projected onto it. BB-8 rolled around happily with his new drone friends, R2-D2 and C3-P0, and people came and went, some in uniform, some in normal clothes. And there, in the middle of it all, watching over a series of documents, was General Leia Organa. When Finn rest one hand on her shoulder, she jolted awake.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, General. I didn't mean to wake you…" the ex-First Order soldier stuttered.

Leia only smiled, "It's okay. I'm just… I loved him, you know.", she peered at the ground once again, a tear forming in her eye.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm sorry about Han, ma'am." Finn began, "If I could have saved him, I would ha-"

"And you know what the worst part is?" the General asked rhetorically, "He was killed by his son. _Our_ son. I thought he could… I thought Ben would listen to him, Han was his father after all. But no, there's no light left in that child. Snoke has poisoned him, well and truly. There's no option but to…" the woman stopped, before she spoke those words she did not want to say. A tear fell, running down her cheek.

"It'll be okay, Leia." Finn patted her back, "But that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want your permission to take Poe with me on a mission to find Captain Phasma and discover the true location of your son."

Leia looked into Finn's eyes, as if trying to reveal any secrets the soldier had locked away. Eventually, after what seemed like centuries, she spoke,

"He's not my son. Not anymore.

"And in response to your request, permission denied. I need everyone here for the arrival of Luke, and besides, I expect he'll want to see you."

Despite Leia's best smile, Finn couldn't help but feel angry. He knew Kylo was her son, but he had to find the Sith, eventually, whether it was him, or Poe, or Luke or even some unimportant pilot in the Resistance, eventually someone would have to find him… and kill him.

"Look, General, I know he's-" he began, trying to persuade the woman, but she had none of it.

"Look I know, Finn, I know what you're trying to do. But I'm denying your request. We'll find him sometime later."

Finn nodded and walked solemnly back to the cantina, Poe following slowly behind. The pilot seemed sad, even disheartened, but Finn spoke up, "So, you up for coming with me?"

Poe was caught off-guard and stared at his friend with an almost inferior gaze, "What, didn't you hear the General? She said we ca-"

"I know what she said, Poe," Finn broke in, "but I'm going anyway. Besides, we've disobeyed orders before, haven't we?"

Finn let a small smile creep across his face. Poe wanted to say no and stay at base, he wanted to meet the mythical Luke Skywalker, but he couldn't help grin, too, nodding,

"Fine but it's on you!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

As the pair swaggered back to Poe's X-Wing and boarded it, a group of Resistance ran out from the tents, led by Leia. The woman wore a small smile on her face, too, trying not to let it show,

"He's a stormtrooper, alright."

As Kylo Ren marched through the corridors of his Star Destroyer, accompanied by a pair of stormtroopers, his mind was still in disarray. He tried to force out the Light, but he could not, and even as he made his way to Snoke, he was ever doubtful, the death of his father replaying in his mind like a film. It was too much. What had he done? His father had died, at his son's own hands. But he was not his son! He was Kylo Ren, apprentice of Supreme Leader Snoke, Lord of the Sith and enemy of the Republic. But he could not force out the temptation of the Light Side, and he stumbled to the floor, out of breath. As one of his soldiers crouched to help him up, Kylo pushed him away, before slicing him in two with his saber and throwing the other into a wall with the Force. When he turned back, General Hux stood with his feet together, staring at the dead soldiers.

"Ren! This _has_ to stop. Join me at once. Snoke wishes to complete your training."

Kylo's eyes widened even beneath his mask. He should have loved this; it would be the final step to pushing the Light Side out of his mind, and submitting himself fully to the Dark. But he was still afraid, it would not be easy. Yet he made his way to the great hall, where no light came in except from a hole in the ceiling behind the hologram podium.

After a few minutes, the image projected onto the ground, the grand throne of Supreme Leader Snoke, who sat there with his deformed face, a maniacal smile present.

"Ahh, Lord Ren. I see you have made it here in one piece. The rest of your soldiers can not say the same…"

Kylo stared at Hux resentfully, who was next to him, unable to help but grin.

"This has to stop, Ren." Snoke shouted, smacking a fist on one of the arms of his great chair, "You will come to me to complete your training. Report to the Hangar. Your ship is prepared for you."

"Of course, Supreme Leader." Kylo's words were hollow, he knew. His fear and dread clear in it, standing out like a short stormtrooper. Though the air was silent, his mind was aching with noise, conflicting thoughts. He felt faint again, and wanted to go back to his quarters, to pray to his grandfather's mask and rest. But he could not. He had to stay on his path. For his sake more than any other's.

"How did it happen?" Rey drank from her metal bottle, nearly out of water. She felt much better, but now instead of pain she was filled with questions. It just didn't make sense, yet it did. Who were the family she said goodbye to on Jakku? How long had she waited for people she barely even knew?

"I think you know how it happened." Luke smiled.

Rey blushed, talking quickly, "That's not what I meant."

Luke nodded slowly, "I know. It's a long story, Rey."

"We have time." The girl looked up, studying the facial features of her father. Maybe once they looked alike, but now, now they were so far apart.

"No," the lost Jedi spoke softly, elegant yet firm, "We do not. Your friends at D'Qar are expecting us. It would not do well to leave them waiting." He sighed, "I have been away for too long. Wonder how Han and Leia are doing. Huh, and R2."

A wave of guilt washed over Rey, and she did not know why. She was not the one who killed Han, perhaps it was because it was she who had to tell him. "Father… Luke, Han is dead."

Luke stared at her, before his eyes slowly dropped, his smile contorting into a deep 'n' shape. He wanted to cry, but he let no tears fall. It took a while for him to speak again, and when he did it was obvious he did not want to, almost as if if he did, it would make it all true.

"How? How did he…" he choked audibly, and it broke his daughter's heart to hear, "How did he die?"

"Kylo Ren." Rey had to say nothing else, if she did she feared she would cry also, but it was all Luke needed.

"I suspected so. Even out here I have heard of Kylo Ren. Han's son, correct? Ah well, we must go anyway. I want to see Chewie. Come, you'll be fine to walk."

As Luke walked out of the stone hut slowly, the sea breeze hitting him refreshingly, he began to wonder if letting Rey find him was the best idea after all. If he had stayed away for thirty years and nothing had troubled him out here, why couldn't he wait another thirty? Suddenly it made no sense and he wanted to stay. But he couldn't. Once again he had to save the world.


	2. Chapter 2 - Under Attack

IN KYLO'S STAR DESTROYER

Kylo made his way to the hangar, his head spilling with conflicting thoughts. He held his lightsaber close to his side and took deep breaths through his helm. His previous training had been… cruel… to say the least. And now he had to complete it with none other than Snoke? He didn't know if he was up to it but it was too late now.

The doors shifted open, sliding sideways, revealing the massive hangar beyond. TIE Fighters and Interceptors were everywhere, some being repaired and some just about to take off. And there, overlooking it all was the Command Centre, a great glass chamber attached to the roof. It was still damaged from the escape of Poe Dameron, but mostly rebuilt. Even from here, Kylo could see him; General Hux. Ren hated the man with a burning passion, at every turn the General had underestimated him and tried to force him out of the Order. Kylo promised himself that one day, when this was all over, he would kill that man.

He walked down the stairs, greeted by two Stormtroopers who hung back a few feet, armed with standard blasters. Kylo spotted his Command Shuttle, in the middle of the steel floor, its wings brought in. He walked over to it and saw Captain Phasma standing next outside.

"Phasma." Kylo said to the woman, with a cold, steely tone.

"Lord Ren." The chrome stormtrooper clicked her heels and even in her mask, the Sith could tell she was staring at him. "We are headed to Moraband, in the Outer Rim."

Kylo was surprised. He had heard of Moraband. Every Sith had, it was their homeworld, a deserted and dangerous red planet, close to the Wild Space and the Unknown Regions. It was harsh and unforgiving, the perfect place to shape the mind of a warrior. Of course, Kylo Ren was not a Sith, he was a Knight of Ren, an organisation of talented Force warriors that practiced the Dark Side and served under Snoke. But to him it made no difference. Knight of Ren or Sith, the name may have been different, but the means for success were the same.

"'We'?" Kylo asked his Captain, as the entrance ramp to his ship lowered, steam billowing out of the pipes, forming a thick white cloak.

"Yes, sir." Phasma replied, "I have been instructed to escort you on the way to Moraband. Once we land on the planet, I have strict instructions to return here with your ship whilst you complete your training."

Kylo was madder than anything else now, and it took a lot of effort not to kill the stormtrooper right there and then. Slowly, he muttered under his breath, "Great. So now Snoke doesn't even trust me." He quickly placed his lightsaber back in his robe and entered his ship. He heard Phasma enter after him as well as three other stromtroopers, one of which belonged to the Heavy Artillery unit. He sighed, letting a small cloud of water vapour escape from his mask. He flicked switches and pressed buttons, the Shuttle roaring into life. Gradually, it began to hover in mid-air, before shooting into the distance, far away from the hangar, its wings extending in seconds. Kylo was not looking forward to his new quest.

IN THE FIRST JEDI TEMPLE

Luke and Rey ventured down the stone steps in silence. It was not that Rey feared she would say too much to her newfound father, it was quite the opposite. She did not know what to say, and when she tried, the words caught and stuck in her throat. In the end she gave up and merely walked side by side with her father, down the endless steps, until eventually the Millenium Falcon came into sight.

The thin walls of deep granite that protruded from the side of the island began to give way; slowly sinking back into the grass the further the two went, getting ever closer to the ship. Soon it was only metres away and a huge smile beamed onto Luke's face, after thirty years of no human contact. It was as if all the old memories came flooding back to him and he struggled not to cry. Rey let a single tear cascade down her cheek, happy that her father was happy. She would let him have this one moment of exuberance before bombarding him with questions. When Luke stopped only feet away, the boarding ramp came down, and with it, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and BB-8.

"Chewie!" the Jedi practically leapt towards the Wookie and the two embraced eachother. The brown-furred creature let out a loud ' _aaawwwwwaaahh'_ and dropped his crossbow. "Yes, I'm back, old friend; it's good to see you again!" Luke's eyes seemed to change colour, ditching that dull grey and retaking the vivid blue it once bore.

Suddenly, his eyes darted to the little blue and white astromech droid below, happily wobbling side to side, letting out all kinds of small 'beeps' and 'whirrs'. "R2!" he greeted the robot, "You're back! I heard you went offline after I left, buddy." He too hugged the robot, who flickered that same blue light, every now and then a dark red coming through.

After they all met up and reunited, the party boarded the ship and took their stations. Rey and Chewie headed into the cockpit and the former was about to take the co-pilot's chair when the Wookie gestured her to take the other. The girl didn't want to, while she was a good pilot, she felt it was like destroying Han's legacy, and that only he or Chewie should take full control of the Falcon, but in the end she had to. As she adjusted herself in the seat, she flicked on overhead switches and the ship roared into life. She let a quick, small smile appear on his face.

Luke walked over to R2 and crouched down, "Hey, take this for me, will you?" he handed his lightsaber hilt to the droid who quickly extended a claw, pulling it inside it's metal shell. "Take good care of it for me!" the Jedi joked, before disappearing down the gun well. He sat himself in the turret seat and grinned ecstatically, "Just like old times!"

MEANWHILE, ON THE PLANET OF D'QAR

"You know how to pilot one of these things?" Poe asked Finn under his pilot's mask. As he switched on his X-Wing, he stared at his friend, who was in the cockpit of another adjacent to his own.

Whilst the Resistance pilot knew what he was doing, the ex-First Order trooper did not. He scrambled around with the controls, pulling levers and pushing buttons. On the outside of the ship, the turret was being rotated countless times and fins were being pushed left and right. "Yeah, sure, I've piloted a TIE Fighter, why shouldn't I be able to pilot this?" Finn asked, more to himself than to his friend.

"You piloted the _guns_ for a TIE Fighter, it's a little different, buddy." Poe smiled, yet there was no laughter in his voice. He pulled down his visor and made a last check of everything. "Okay, ready to go?"

Finn let out a small cry, trying desperately again to turn on the actual ship. Finally, he did, and with a sharp roar it began to rise off the ground. He smiled before hearing a 'boop' sound that made him jump. He swung round in his seat and saw the dome of an astromech droid set in his X-Wing. It sported an unusual white and pink colour design. "Poe! I got a goddamn droid back here!"

"Yeah, I know," Poe replied, taking off, "That's R2-KT, she's an efficient droid, take care of the ship and she'll take care of you."

The two were only a few feet from the ground when they saw a group of Resistance pilots and troops exit the tent, led by General Leia Organa. Finn saw the woman say something, smiling, before it turned into a deep frown. She was now staring at something, something beyond the X-Wing. The pair of pilots turned the other way, just as a fleet of First Order TIE Fighters came into view, travelling at amazing speed, headed straight for the base.

"Come on, Poe, we have to get out of here quick!" Finn barked over his headset.

"What, are you crazy?!" the Resistance member shouted back, "We have to stay here! We have to help them!"

"Look, I know it's difficult, alright man? I know it is, but what difference are we going to make, two people? They have hundreds here and this is our perfect chance! The dogfight will give us the cover we need to slip away, they'll be fine but we _have_ to find Phasma and kill Ren once and for all! We may not have another chance!"

It was clear on Poe's face that he did not know what to do; he was a member of the Resistance, their best pilot, or so they said. Maybe he was what they needed to win this fight; the Resistance may not live otherwise. To leave now, at the start of a battle would be treason in their eyes, abandoning them at the time they needed him most. But Finn was right, they had to find Phasma and thus Kylo Ren, bringing him to justice, or else this entire war may never end.

"Poe!" Finn clamoured from the other X-Wing, his eyes darting from his friend to the swarm of enemy ships that were closing in, starting to rain down fire upon the Resistance fighters. "We don't have much time! We don't-"

The X-Wing next to Finn's exploded in a ball of fire and smoke, pieces of metal flying all around. It was enough to knock the ex-stromtrooper's own ship a few metres, jolting the pilot into the glass cover of his cockpit.

"Finn!" Poe shouted to his friend, who for a few moments didn't reply.

"I'm okay!" the other pilot stammered back, "I'm okay! But we have to go _now!_ "

Finn tried to turn the engines on but only got a pathetic _zzch_ sound. "Goddamit, the Right Thrust Engine's out, the explosion must have destroyed it!"

"Try re-routing the main auxiliary power to just the right engine! It'll make for a bumpier ride, but it should work!" Poe suggested over the comms. Finn nodded and after messing around with his consoles, the ship came into life.

"Good, now we have to go!"

Poe nodded and, after flicking a few switches, turned his X-Wing around, facing the oncoming horde of TIE Fighters. Finn took a deep breath and did the same.

.

.

.

"NOW!"

Finn and Poe started the thrusters in sync and the ships took at lightning speed, getting closer and closer to the Fighters. But soon, they were taking damage. The enemy ships were firing at them, and soon exposed patches of cables and wires were present, fire slowly burning around them. Another blast came at Finn, splintering the canopy, threatening to penetrate the glass.

"Poe!" the stormtrooper began, "We're not gonna last long if we keep taking this kind of damage!"

The Resistance pilot took a while to reply, but when he did the words were spoken hurriedly and flustered, "I know! Turn and come back around, we'll try and thin them out."

Finn agreed and the two quickly veered left, facing the base, before coming back round again, seconds from colliding with the First Order TIE's,

"Take out as many as you can!" Poe ordered, already pushing down on the gun controls.

Finn started firing, as well as making evasive manoeuvres. He narrowly dodged another oncoming blast, and made a complete barrel roll in mid-air, avoiding another TIE Fighter entirely. He spotted one headed straight for him and smacked down his fist on the trigger. A barrage of light energy hit the ship's wings, shattering one and sending it spiralling down towards the ground. Finn saw the beginning of the explosion in his glass hood, before it spilled out of sight. A loud _whoosh_ came as another sneaked up on him from above. Finn stared up, as it lost speed and at last came in behind him, shooting at his own wings.

The ex-stormtrooper was helpless as the TIE Fighter shot him from behind. He was about to go down when suddenly his attacker blew up in a savage fireball. Just then, the familiar black and orange stripe came into view, pulling in beside him in mid-air,

"Close call there, man!" Poe smiled from the other X-Wing.

"Thanks, I'll buy you a drink later!" Finn joked back, taking down another.

"Okay," Poe's voice shifted into a serious tone, "we're about to pass through the atmosphere. Go into hyperspace in three… two… one!"

The ships seemingly vanished amongst the enemy Fighters, as the two pilots only saw constant streaks of blue and white in the now-black sky. Then, they stopped and went back into normal speed.

"What the hell was that?!" Finn shuddered, feeling nauseous.

"Ha!" Poe laughed, "That's Hyperspace for you, we just went faster than lightspeed, dude! It has an effect on your body. Haven't you gone into it before?"

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"Uh-oh," Poe said, checking his controls, "a few of them have trailed us."

"How many?" asked Finn, checking his own map.

"About five, should be easy to take them out. They're gaining speed fast, let's get the suckers!"

ON THE MILLENIUM FALCON

"Luke!" Rey called from the cockpit, "We've got five TIE Fighters coming this way. They're already firing."

"I see them!" Luke shouted back, manoeuvring the turret to lock-on to the enemy ships.

Chewie, however, made a small roar and pointed at an area of space, just in front of the Fighters, and that's when Rey noticed that there were two X-Wings lingering there, trying to fight back.

"Who are…" Luke's daughter didn't finish her sentence, she didn't need to, she knew that black and orange X-Wing, and intended on lending a helping hand. "Luke, give them everything we've got!"

Luke only nodded in response and got to work. He saw the TIE Fighter appear on his gridded screen, a small arrow covering where its cockpit would be. He pushed down on both triggers and two blasts of light energy hit the target. The ship was splintered apart, and the shrapnel slowly dissipated outward.

"Nice hit!"

The Jedi was about to fire again, when he saw the other four seemingly taken out at once.

"Those boys are good." Rey muttered, smiling.

"Wait, you know those X-Wings?" Luke called back, staring at the great wreckage.

Rey nodded, though she knew her father couldn't see, "They're our Resistance pilots!"

Luke's face suddenly changed to one of alarm and confusion, "Wait, you mean Poe Dameron and the Ex-Stormtrooper? Aren't they supposed to be on D'Qar? Aren't we supposed to be meeting with them and the General?"

"Uhh… yeah." Rey stuttered, finally realising what was going on.

"Well where are they headed?" Luke asked, taking off his headset and leaping out the chair, climbing back up the gun well.

"I… don't know." His daughter said, as the two X-Wings made their way ever closer to the Falcon.

"Well shouldn't we go after them?" Luke appeared behind Rey's chair.

"We can't," the girl explained, "We're supposed to meet up with Leia no matter what. Plus, it looks like those TIE's came from the planet itself. They must be under attack."

Luke nodded, but still protested, "But what about them? If they're headed somewhere dangerous, we have to help them!"

Chewie made a small _awaar_ sound, showing his agreement with Luke, but Rey had none of it, "No, we _have_ to go back to the base. That's why I rescued you in the first place. To help us. How can we do that if we're travelling around in the Outer Rim?"

Luke studied her daughter for a moment, torn apart, wondering what to do. Eventually, he let out a small grin and nodded, "You're right. Captain, set down for D'Qar!"

ON THE PLANETS SURFACE

"General, there's too many of them! We have to fall back into the base!" one of Leia's troops shouted to her. One minute it was peaceful before the clouds themselves seemed to turn black with those Fighters.

"If we retreat into the base now we'll be cornered! They'd be able to take us over in minutes." The Princess replied, holding her ground.

"General!" The man barked again, "We're losing a lot of pilots here! We have no choice but to-"

Just then, in the midst of the chaos and the fire and the death, a single noise filled the air. Not the cries of dying men, or the high-pitched _pews_ of laser cannons.

"The Millenium Falcon." Leia murmured under her breath. Descending rapidly from the sky, breaching the canopy of clouds, was the familiar grey ship that had taken the General on countless adventures before.

Everyone was speechless as the Falcon carefully landed on the runway. The fighting, it seemed, stopped when the ramp came down. And there he stood, after all these years in hiding, shrouded by his thick Jedi hood. Luke Skywalker. The man marched down the ramp, his feet thudding on the hard concrete that was now below him. Even under that hood everybody around knew who he was. Those robes were unmistakable. As the first wave of First Order Transporters landed, their soldiers spilling out onto the ground, Luke said nothing. There he stood, tall and firm. He reached into his belt and pulled out the weapon. He clicked it on, a thin ray of intense blue light crackling from its top.

And there the real battle began.


End file.
